Pylos
Pylos is a small kingdom on a northeastern island along the Gyran Coast, seventeen leagues from the shores of the Sil'tira Mountain Range. Pylos has over five-hundred thousand people and has a very small but elite army of four thousand soldiers, all trained beneath the king himself. Olive-skinned, black-haired and golden-eyed, the Pylesians are often compared to daemons for their appearance, somewhat violent and excitable nature and primative culture. Pylos is the only kingdom in Ingtandel to be completely isolated from the others; as such, Pylesian culture, law and religion are extremely different from that of the other kingdoms. Very little information from other countrires reaches Pylos's shores, and what little news that is received is often forbidden from being released to the public. Because Pylos is situated in the coldest sea in Ingtandel, the land is heavily wooded in some places and sparse and rocky in others. The city of T'oran is located nearest to the land of Ciryatan, and is more wooded than Citur, which is located on the very north side of the island and is exceptionally cold and sparsely vegetated. Most Pylesians live in T'oran or Olidiri, but those who hold onto the oldest Pylesian traditions and who wish to isolate themselves from the more modern cultures of the other five kingdoms live in Citur, where they subsist on hunting and gathering as opposed to farming and other forms of agriculture. Pylos is riddled with wild boar, which is one of the greatest food staples in the country; because of its prominence and its reliablity as a food source, the boar has been imprinted on the Pylesian flag. The current king of Pylos is Silmaron et T'oran, the oldest known ruler in Pylesian history. Silmaron's royal crest is a wild boar surrounded by four ravens, each carrying an olive branch in their left foot. The Pylesian flag depicts a black boar on a red-and-grey background with one white star in each of the four corners. Appearance The Pylesians are lean, tall, muscular and strong. They are identified by their olive skin, amber eyes, and jet-black hair. Culture Pylos has two main cultures; the culture of the east and south, and the culture of the north. T'oran and Olidiri, being the closest cities to the mainland, have a more modern culture. The cities were built from stone taken from the Island of Hart, twenty leagues due south of Pylos, and have remained in their natural state even after nearly eight hundred years. Pylesians from T'oran and Olidiri farm, fish, and raise livestock; they are governed by a strict code of law that is heavily based on honor and honesty—those that lie or cheat their neighbors are abhorred as criminals and sent into the mountains, where they are forced to live an honest life on their own. The cities of T'oran and Olidiri are ruled by scions, or relatives of the ruling family, who appoint counts and countesses to control certain portions of the cities in their name. Scions can be either male or female; the Pylesians do not discriminate between male and female and regard both genders as equals. In T'oran and Olidiri women can become soldiers in the Royal Pylesian Army, own land, and choose who they marry. Blacksmithing and woodcarving are two very profitable industries in T'oran and Olidiri; what little trade is initiated between the other kingdoms and Pylos is in the form of ornate weaponry, decorative pieces, and wooden furniture. Ciryatan and Tlalis are Pylos's main trading partners, although Selyxian ships may visit T'oran's shores to trade in times of war. The city (or colony) of Citur is much different from T'oran and Olidiri. Isolated and far from other Pylesians, the people of Citur have their own governing system that is oftentimes devoid of the king. Citur is located on the very north coast of Pylos and is extremely cold, rocky, and sparsely vegetated. The people of Citur hunt wild boar, deer, and other small mammals, fish in the ocean, and gather edible plants and berries from the few trees and bushes that grow on their side of the island. The Citur Pylesians believe that modern culture is wrought with evils that corrupt the people, and as such withdraw from it completely. Citur is ruled by a warlord named Gralan au Dukan, and his many sons and daughters hold sway over the people there. Citur's four-thousand inhabints live in large, familial groups along the coast and occupy massive tents made from animal hide. They forbid all their men and women to enter the Royal Pylesian Army and do not allow pilgrimages to other parts of the kingdom. The people of Citur barely recognize Silmaron et T'oran as their king, but their disobedience rarely affects the kingdom's peace and prosperity. Pylos has many, many gods; some say that there are over a thousand Pylesian gods, each in charge of some aspect of their culture and law. The main gods in Pylos are Siltur and Gypta; Siltur is in charge of the oceans and seas, while Gypta is in control of the land and its agricultural tendencies. Because there are so many gods in Pylesian culture, rarely do the Pylesians pray or give sacrifices to their gods; instead they honor all of their gods at once during a yearly festival in T'oran, in which a great sacrifice of lamb, cattle, chicken, and fish is given to all of their deities in their honor. Language The Pylesian language is considered one of the more rough languages in Ingtandel, and requires much exposure to understand, The Pylesians have only twenty-three letters in their alphabet, ommitting Z, X, and W. Pylesians have many titles for themselves, the most common being au, ae, eu, ea and et. The title au is given to males of non-noble birth and means "of" in Pylesian; ae is given to females of non-noble birth and means the same. The titles eu ''and ''ea are given to scions, counts and countesses, male and female, respectively, and also means "of". The title et is given to the king and means "the"; thus, Silmaron et T'oran means "Silmaron the T'oran", signifying that the king himself is the embodiment of the city that he heralded from. Hierarchy The Pylesian hierarchy is relatively simple. The king and his queen live in T'oran, and beneath them reigns the Herobrin. Scions, or relatives of the royal family, rule the two cities of T'oran and Olidiri in the name of the king, and beneath the scions are counts and countesses, who hold sway over small territories in the two cities. In Citur, the hierarchy is much different; a warlord and his sons and daughters hold all control over the city, and only elders have more power than the warlord's offspring in terms of law and culture. Herobrin The Pylesians have a unique name for their champion warrior—Herobrin, meaning "supreme warrior" in their native language. The Herobrin is a young male who has risen through the ranks of the Royal Pylesian Army as an exceptional warrior and strategist. Given much of the same respect, honor, power and wealth as the king, the Herobrin lives in a castle all his own in the city of T'oran. The Herobrin is at the beck and call of the king and is always expected to be battle-ready. In addition, the Herobrin is the head of the Royal Pylesian Army; the generals are below him, signifying how powerful the Herobrin is. The current Herobrin of Pylos is Arteth Mordis, a youth of twenty-five Turnings who stunned his superiors with his great strength, swiftness, and military intelligence. In rare cases, Herobrins can become kings, but it has only happened twice in Pylesian history and is often forgotten.